I started this post about 6 months ago and it's been sitting in the drafts folder ever since. Then Jill who is a new blogger at Loving our Frugal Life did a post on the same subject several weeks ago which reminded me about mine. Although it's still taken another month to get it posted.
Our son was about 8 and at primary school when he got told off for not doing his homework properly. He was supposed to go around the house and write down what was run by electric in each room. Which he did.
The problem was that in the kitchen all he had listed was the light, the food mixer, the radio and the fridge. He was right but the teacher didn't believe him. She said what about the cooker and kettle. But our cooker was gas from a cylinder and our kettle was heated on the gas hob.
This memory always pops back into my mind when the Lakeland catalogue drops through the letterbox. They really like their gadgets at Lakeland ( other catalogue shops are available but no one sends as many catalogues as Lakeland!)
We've got more electrical things in the kitchen now than we've ever had before but even now I'm guessing we have a lot less than many people.
So ...............Oh lovely -- I can make a list!
In our kitchen, powered by electric, we have
Lights
Fridge/freezer
Toaster
Oven
Deep fat fryer
Trusty Kenwood Chef
Microwave
Kettle
Electronic ignition for the gas hob
Radio
TV
Before the new kitchen we had an old propane gas cooker with an eye level grill so we didn't even have a toaster and had we have been able to find a built in oven that would run off propane gas with a separate grill made by Cannon like we had back in the 1980s then I would still not have an electric oven or toaster.
You can get a machine or a gadget to do anything and all run by electric and every replacement seems to have a way of using more electric than before, with lights, timers etc.
Every one of those items has been made in a factory, usually abroad, using electric and water, each will need disposing of at the end of it's life. How many people think about that when they add a shiny new gadget to the back of their kitchen cupboards- That's where most of the ice cream makers, cup cake bakers and other odd things get put.
And before everyone shouts at how handy their slow cooker and bread maker have been, let me say this is only my opinion as a person who doesn't go out to work and I can fully understand that for folks out every day then some other gadgets could be handy.
.
Back to normal Tomorrow
Sue
